


Isn't It Sweet?

by marirable



Series: de clermont siblings [3]
Category: A Discovery of Witches (TV), All Souls Trilogy - Deborah Harkness
Genre: Bishmont is there per se, F/M, Gen, Marthe just loves it when children are visiting, all the makings of a great afternoon, de Clermont siblings, set during The Book of Life, tea parties and screaming matches, this is Diana's POV but not a first-person POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:40:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25114042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marirable/pseuds/marirable
Summary: If Diana thought that getting to know Matthew's extended family was only going to get easier with time, she was clearly mistaken.Author's note: this can be considered a continuation of"Blood Matters"but also treated as a separate one-shot.
Relationships: Diana Bishop & Verin de Clermont, Diana Bishop/Matthew Clairmont
Series: de clermont siblings [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1636372
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29





	Isn't It Sweet?

When a vampire stared at her, Diana usually felt ice prickling at her skin. Yet her present company made it feel as if her skin was crawling with bugs. It was itchy and uncomfortable.

The woman sitting across from her was staggeringly beautiful, dressed to the nines and infinitely gracious. Diana would've noticed it during their first encounter if she hadn’t been preoccupied with Baldwin throwing threats at her and Matthew (while Verin herself was very close to throwing knives).

She couldn’t decipher Verin’s gaze apart from it being intense and primal. Predatory. Like she was about to jump forward and bite her. And while Diana could defend herself and would probably deflect the attack, she’d learned not to underestimate the deadly creatures known as the de Clermonts. So she reduced herself to sitting as still as possible and keeping her eyes glued to the fireplace. The only sound that broke the silence was Diana’s wristwatch, although she couldn’t hear the second of it herself. But Verin’s sharp, neatly-polished nails clicked out the rhythm of its second hand on the tabletop.

Suddenly, a shout sounded from the far reaches of the house, followed by a loud clattering.

“Do you have siblings, Diana?” Verin did not even flinch at the sound, sweet venom dripping from her words. Diana pursed her lips.

“No, thankfully I’m the only child.”

“Thankfully, yes.”

Diana was about to ask what the hell Verin was implying when Marthe entered the room, smiling softly at Diana and then moving to Verin, passing her an intricate-looking bowl and a silver spoon. Verin accepted, offering Marthe a grin and a few words in a language Diana couldn’t even place. Marthe said something back, briefly placing a hand on Verin’s shoulder and then turning around, leaving Diana once again alone in the room with her new sister-in-law.

She was following Marthe with her gaze so when she turned back to Verin she flinched at Verin’s eyes once again boring into her. Deciding that ignoring her wasn’t working, Diana defiantly stared back.

Another loud shout from somewhere in the house was now preceded by a door flying open and hitting the wall. The yelling moved closer to the living room for a few moments before once again dropping in volume, as their owners moved from the corridor back into the room they were in. In all honesty, Diana was already tired of hearing those voices at that pitch and for that length of time.

Verin seemed unamused by, and very much content with, the ruckus. She was grazing her spoon along the walls of the bowl like she was digging into yoghurt but Diana knew for a fact this was something made out of—hopefully non-human—blood.

"Oh, don't be so fussy," Verin called out, noticing her frown. A door opened and Marthe re-entered the room, passing a cup of tea to Diana which she accepted gratefully. "One of Baldwin's exes was fond of those, too. What was her name again?" Verin threw her head slightly back and blinked at Marthe, who was already on the way out of the room again but still offered Verin the answer.

"Vanessa."

"Riiiight, Vanessa!" Verin's face lit up. " _Qué maravilla_. I remember her being a picky eater but things like these she tolerated. At least ‘til I told her what it's made of."

Diana determinedly turned away from what she was now sure was some kind of human blood pudding.

She didn’t get a chance to clarify as, after a series of loud steps in the corridor, the door to the living room flew open and a dishevelled Baldwin stormed inside. He threw a malicious glance at Diana and then stopped in his tracks, squinting at his sister.

“What are you still doing here?”

“You have the car keys, _lieber bruder_.”

Baldwin barely stifled a groan as he fished in his pocket and crossed the remaining distance to hand Verin the fob.

“Do pick Ernst up yourself. I have some damage control to do,” he muttered, somehow keeping himself from glancing at Diana.

“How did your talk with Matthew go?”

“Lovely”, Baldwin practically shoved the keys into Verin’s hand. “Get a move on, will you? This can’t exactly wait.”

“I’m all too glad to leave that wretched ringing in my ears behind. Although we could just lock the witch up in your house’s dungeon and fetch her when the need arises. It’s only twenty minutes away from here.”

“The witch can hear you,” Diana muttered, not really expecting it to have any effect on their conversation.

“Either go now or your husband can get himself a taxi. What have you two been even doing here?” Baldwin burst out. Verin rose from her chair, placing the empty bowl on the table.

“Girl talk,” she purred, licking her spoon and throwing a wink towards Diana. “I was just about to share this recipe with our…” Verin’s lip slightly curled in poorly-hidden disgust, “…sister, but we were rudely interrupted.” Her innocent smile wasn’t fooling anyone, as she dropped her head to her shoulder and added dreamingly. “Like that time poor _niña_ Vanessa decided my favourite dessert was not her thing after all.”

Baldwin barely held his growl, and Verin flashed her teeth at Diana.

“I believe she was about your age. Although she herself soon became… a dessert of sorts.”

With those words, Verin finally dropped the spoon she was holding into the bowl and moved towards the exit. Diana’s eyes slightly widened as it suddenly crept at her that maybe Vanessa’s short life was actually Verin’s doing.

At the door, Verin stopped short before Matthew who was about to enter and raised an eyebrow at him.

“ _Wie geht's, Matthäus_?”

“ _Casse-toi_ ,” Matthew spat back, walking past Verin who snorted and proceeded out of the room. He approached the couch Diana was sitting on and offered her his hand. “Would you like to get some fresh air, _mon cœur_?” he asked, shooting Baldwin a nasty look which was eagerly returned.

“God, yes,” Diana breathed out, taking her husband’s hand and tugging him hastily towards the corridor.

When they were out of Baldwin’s range of hearing, she slowed down a bit.

“Question,” she started, carefully choosing her words. “Has your sister ever… oh, I don’t know… settle scores with her siblings’ partners over insignificant issues?”

Matthew scoffed.

“Did she tell you one of Baldwin’s exes didn’t like the colour of our curtains so she set her on fire in her own house?”

“No—but has she?”

“God, no. As improbable as it sounds, my siblings are not that petty. Besides,” Matthew added, tracing his thumb over Diana’s knuckles in a comforting gesture, “she rarely needed to actually act on something to drive her point home. She plays with her food without having to eat it.”

Diana let out a breath. Maybe Verin was right.

Maybe not having siblings was a blessing.

**Author's Note:**

> muchas gracias to my beta [**adowtrash**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/adowtrash/pseuds/adowtrash).
> 
> hit me up on [twitter](https://twitter.com/marirable)  
> & [tumblr](https://marirable.tumblr.com)  
> 


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